Thursday, May 31, 2012

According to an American visitor to Guam in the late 1930s, there was only one thing that could get grandma out of the house, besides church, and that was to see Shirley Temple in one of two movie theatres in Hagåtña.

Elderly grandmas in their mestisas filled the theatres to watch Shirley, not understanding a word. But who needed to, with her winsome smile, golden curls and cutesy singing and dancing?

Mothers took their girls to the beauty salons to give their daughters Shirley Temple curls.

Adolfo C. Sgambelluri, also known as "Sgambe," found himself in an unenviable position as a police officer working for the Japanese during World War II. To some Chamorros, Sgambe was doing the work of the enemy. But the other side of the coin was that Sgambe used his position and knowledge to forewarn his fellow Chamorros.

This was ironic, in a way, because, prior to the war, Sgambe, already a policeman under the American administration, was tasked to observe and file reports on the Japanese residents of Guam, since war was already a possibility people acknowledged some years before the war actually broke out.

When the Americans returned to Guam, Sgambe was put in the stockade, along with the Japanese and their associates. To some observors, this was almost a guilty verdict that Sgambe had collaborated with the Japanese. What they didn't know was that Sgambe was in the stockade because he wanted to be there. The idea was that he would learn as much as he could from the other detainees. He would then pass on this information to the Americans.

Sgambe's undercover assistance in obtaining valuable evidence that was used in the prosecution of Japanese and other war criminals was noted by the American military.

Sgambe went on to be the first Chamorro sent for training by the FBI. He returned to Guam from the FBI Academy and served in several government positions, his longest tenure as Chief of Customs and Quarantine. After 16 years in that role, he retired in 1971 and passed away in 1985.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

So way across the Pacific Ocean in California, Chamorro was heard in the hallowed halls of Saint James Church last Sunday, which was Pentecost.

As you may remember, people from different parts of the world heard Saint Peter preach in their own languages on Pentecost. So, this parish decided to have the General Intercessions prayed in different languages reflective of the congregation.

So my friend Joanne, from the Carbullido clan, asked me to help her with her intercession in Chamorro. Here she is at church, in mestisa no less, with her tropically-clad granddaughter Anaya. Good job!

An American came to Guam on a visit and he went to a cliff to look at the ocean. There was a security guy there and the American told him, "This cliff is dangerous. There should be a sign so people won't fall into the sea."

The guard said, "There used to be a sign but we removed it."

"Why?" asked the American.

"Because after six months and nobody fell into the sea, we removed it."

Let me take you on a virtual flight from Tinian to Saipan, from the safety of your desk, chair or bed.

Air travel between Tinian and Saipan is regular and frequent....but unpredictable.

The small planes wait till there are enough passengers to justify using up the gas. In my case, I waited and waited, and when it looked like I was the only passenger at least for a while, they put me on the plane as the sole passenger. But they can always make money from cargo.

I used to sit next to the pilot at times back in the 90s when I was a priest in Saipan and would fly to Tinian. He'd ask me to open and close the window on take -off. I thought I should've gotten at least a few dollars off the fare for helping fly the plane.

Totally unrelated story. Years ago I was helping cover a parish in Hawaii and a parishioner's boyfriend was a pilot who flew a small plane as this one in the video, taking small cargo to the small islands of Lanai and Molokai. For the price of helping him carry cargo on and off the plane, he said I could go with him. And that is how I saw two islands I probably never would have been to; Lanai and Molokai.

Back to Tinian. In the 90s, I had a Healing Mass every Monday for the sick and I recognized an elderly man would always come for the blessing after Mass. This elderly man was usually the pilot on these quick flights to Tinian and back. I mentioned to him after Mass one time, "I really pray for you a lot when you come for the blessing." "Why?" he asked me. I said, "You know you're usually the one flying me to Tinian, right?" "Yes," he said. "Well, don't forget, there's no co-pilot!"

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Guam went through a horrible influenza epidemic in 1918. The flu killed 858 people on Guam in just 2 months. That was about 14 people a day. Of course, at first there was a trickle of deaths in the beginning, and fewer as the flu abated, with as many as 50 deaths in one day at its peak. With so many deaths in a day, bodies were hurriedly wrapped in sheets and buried in a common grave.

Here's a story about this episode of Guam's history, told by a woman, now deceased, who lived through it. It is up to you to believe it or not.

Two men hired by the government to haul cadavers to the cemetery were carrying one body wrapped in a sheet when all of a sudden they heard a muffled voice say,

Friday, May 25, 2012

This young man, for all his youth, is committed heart and soul to traditional Chamorro hymnology. He tries to learn them all, and researches their origins. Just a little digging reveals that the majority of our Chamorro Catholic hymns are translations of pre-existing hymns from Europe, mostly Spanish, some Basque and a sprinkling of others.

So it is in complete adherence to tradition for Larry to take a Basque-Spanish hymn and compose a Chamorro version. He wrote these Chamorro lyrics for a song he is planning to have sung at the upcoming Sacred Heart fiesta in Chalan Pago. The orthography (spelling) is his :

Hulon - this is an obsolete word, not used today, but this is a good way of reviving it. Among its several meanings, here it means "someone in authority."

Taotao Håya - was an older way of referring to Chamorros. The people who came from the direction of the ocean were the Gi Lago or Taotao Lågo.

Kinilo - means "lamb" The problem is there were no lambs on Guam, so Chamorros borrowed the Spanish word for "lamb" - cordero. But therein lies another problem; two, actually. We Chamorros cannot pronounce an R or an L which come before another consonant. It becomes a T, as in when we say Kåtlos when we mean Carlos. Second, we just have a hard time with R no matter where it is placed, so cordero becomes kotdelo, and in time it becomes kinilo.

A Good Example

That a man in his late 20s can do this is not only a tribute to his talent but also serves as an inspiration for other young people to cast off all self-doubt and try their hand at doing Chamorro versions of lyrics, poetry or prose. Just make sure to have someone solid in the language look it over.

There once was a woman named Ramona Aguon Alejandro. From the Aguon, we know she was Chamorro. Alejandro is Spanish for Alexander, but we don't know if her father or grandfather was a Filipino, Mexican, Spaniard or what-have-you.

Ramona married Andres Camacho Castro. They had at least three sons, maybe more : Marcos, Jose and Francisco. These three are listed in the 1897 Census, but Ramona had died by then.

There is also a widow listed in 1897 by the name of Josefa Alejandro. She could have been Ramona's sister.

But there were no males surnamed Alejandro in the 1897 Census, and the name died out.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Carabaos need to be in some form of water throughout the day. Mud will do, too.

These carabao were refreshing themselves in the river that flows through Humåtak.

Right after I shot this video, three older teenagers walked passed me and made small talk with me as they did. My passenger, who remained in the car watching it all, told me after I got back into the car that the three teenagers hid their beer cans to their sides or under their shirts as they approached me.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Today on Guam, the majority of people who even chew pugua' (betel nut) do so without adding pupulu, the pepper leaf.

But the real custom is to chew a combination of pugua', pupulu and åfok (baked limestone). Many manåmko' also added amåska or chewing tobacco.

But how do you know which leaves of the pupulu bush to pick? Terry and Frank explain this to me in the video.

PUPULUN YAP

In Saipan, there is another variety of pupulu called pupulun Yap (Yap pupulu). It more or less looks like Marianas pupulu but tends to be larger and the feel of the leaf just a tiny bit thicker and the texture just a tad bit more rubbery. It's the taste that presents the biggest contrast; far more peppery (pika) than the Marianas variety. Am sure it was brought to Saipan by our Carolinian brethren, who relish this variety of leaf. I like it, too.

saymanmaw.20m.com

Pupulun Yap - looks the same but packs a meaner punch

PUPULUN ANITE

(Devil's Pupulu)

university.uog.edu

This is the only other traditional variety of pupulu on Guam. It isn't chewed with pugua', but it has medicinal usages. It doesn't look like regular pupulu. It is more rounded and has a duller color.

If I remember correctly, wetted pupulun anite can be placed directly on one's forehead to get rid of a head ache; after which, one might develop a "devil-may-care" attitude about the rest of the day.

Just one of three boxes or bags of mangoes we've received in the last day.

Keep them coming; we give them away to those who don't have them!

As I mentioned in an earlier post a month or so ago, the mangoes were so plentiful on the trees this year that we have an overflow of mangoes all over the island.

They're giving them away. No one can make any money selling them; they're so available. People are standing on the road side throwing them to passengers in cars. Well, not really. But you get the picture.

Really, this is when every household should learn how to make mango jam.

Most of us associate the month of May with Mary. But, in traditional Chamorro culture, May is also the month of the Santa Cruz (Spanish), Såntos Kilu'us (Chamorro) or the Holy Cross.

Why May?

Prior to Vatican II, there were two feasts of the Holy Cross in the church calendar. May 3rd was the feast of the Finding of the Cross, when, according to tradition, the Empress Helena searched for and found the cross upon which Jesus died, buried in Jerusalem. The second feast of the Holy Cross was September 14, called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which commemorated the rescue of the True Cross from the hands of the Persians. After Vatican II, May 3rd was eliminated and only September 14 remains on the calendar.

But traditions are traditions and many Chamorro families carry on the May devotion to the Holy Cross.

Tan Lourdes Crisostomo English of Sinajaña keeps this tradition. The wooden cross venerated here was carved by her grandfather about 100 years ago.

The Spanish-speaking world also keeps the May tradition, where it is called the Cruz de Mayo.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

A rivera, in Spanish, means "brook," or "creek." Not quite a river, which is río.

There are no Riveras in the earliest censuses we have, the 1727 Census and the 1758 Census.
Yet the Rivera surname shows up in fair numbers in the 1897 Census. Sometime after 1758, a Rivera, or perhaps 2 or 3 Riveras, whether relatives or not, showed up on Guam and started families. Who they were; what ethnicity they had, is anybody's guess at this point. The name is Spanish, but Spanish surnames can be found among South Americans and Filipinos.

The oldest Rivera in the 1897 census is Don Luis Rivera of Hagåtña, aged 88 in 1897. He was married to Juana Pangelinan.

Another elderly Rivera was a woman, Rufina Lujan Rivera, aged 65, also of Hagåtña. She married Tiburcio Arriola.

Manuel Rivera, aged 72, of Hagåtña, was married to Ana de Leon Guerrero.

Jose Rivera, aged 74 of Hagåtña, was married to Maria de Leon Guerrero.

These last two have my suspicions aroused, especially since they're just a few years apart. It was not unusual for two brothers to marry two sisters, but until we find better evidence, we better not jump to unfounded conclusions.

Finally, we have the Agat Riveras, descendants of Jose Rivera, aged 57 in 1897, married to Josefa Delgado.

An elderly man shared with me this story when he was a teenager in the year 1950.

Agaña Heights had a little theatre, called the Majestic. It was just a one-room building that served as a ping pong hall by day and a movie house at night. At night when they wanted to show a movie, they just shoved the ping pong tables to the side, hoisted a little screen and lined up wooden benches for seating.

All the money made from the movies went to the parish, which was building a new church (the one that stands today). Påle' Scot (Oscar Calvo), the pastor, not only had to approve each and every movie, he also announced them at Mass to drum up business.

So this man telling me his story says one night he and his friends waited till they turned off the lights and started the movie. Going in, he purposely sat behind the girl of his fancy. The girl was there with her mother and half a dozen siblings. As it was dark, and he was strategically seated behind the girl, he put his hand on her shoulder. Out of the blue, the mother of the girl put her hand on his! In shock, the mother collected her half-dozen children and went straight out the door!

Such was the strictness of most parents in those days. No daughter ever left home unaccompanied.

On May 17, 1672, a month and two weeks after the killing of Pale' Sanvitores and Pedro Calungsod, a company of Spaniards, Latin Americans and Filipinos set out to Ipao to retaliate against the Chamorros who may have been involved in the death of Sanvitores. The Chamorros of the area opposed to the Spaniards blocked the usual trails with felled trees. The Spaniards cut through the jungle and headed towards the beach to proceed on their journey.

On their return back to Hagåtña, they had forgotten about the tide, which was now rising. Seeing the Spaniards in this vulnerable position, the Chamorros launched an ambush, throwing spears from the high ground above, from the beach ahead and from canoes in the sea.

Matå'pang, principal killer of Sanvitores, was involved in the fight and was wounded by a Spanish bullet. His wound, in the arm, never properly healed. The Spaniards lost men in the attack, like Pedro Basijan, a Visayan Filipino; Jose de Torres, a Mexican from Puebla de los Angeles; and Juan Beltran, also from Mexico.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

He called it the best-maintained village on Guam; clean and orderly. The villagers well-occupied and flourishing.

He credited all this to its capable and energetic gobernadorcillo, or mayor, Felix Sablan Roberto. Other villages weren't so lucky, Schroeder said.

Schroeder visited Malesso' in 1900. Nearly the entire village showed up, forming lines on both sides of the narrow road. A few muskets were fired at the governor's approach, and some people made noise with bamboo poles sliced down the center so that the two sides clapped when shaken.

There were shouts of Viva el Señor Gobernador! And Viva la América! An elderly lady dashed forward to kiss Schroeder's hand, and others followed suit. A band composed of two fiddles and an accordion provided music.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Kariso is the Chamorro form of the Spanish word carrizo. Carrizo refers to a variety of tall grasses, reeds and even canes.

Kariso on Guam grows in swampy areas and is usually a good indicator of fresh water. In a marshy area bordering the coast, where salty, brackish water can mix with fresh water found more in-land, kariso will not be seen in the brackish area, but only in the area of fresh water.

Our mañaina would use kariso, splitting the reeds and weaving them into matting to use in the home as wall coverings, partitions and ceilings. The young kariso was used even as fodder for livestock.

Why did this family get this nickname? I'd like someone in the family to offer a theory. Was it because someone in the family worked with kariso? Carrizo is also a Spanish last name, and either a Spaniard, someone from Latin America or the Philippines with the last name Carrizo could have had some association with one of the Villagomezes. Or, there may be another reason altogether.

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